Folic acid and spina-bifida

70 per cent of cases of spina bifida are preventable by taking folic-acid during pregnancy.

A new study conducted by researchers at The Texas A and M University System Health Science Center, USA and published in the Lancet suggests that 70 percent of cases of spina bifida are preventable by folic-acid supplementation around the time of conception and during early pregnancy.

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The researchers led by Laura Mitchell highlighted how spina bifida cases can be prevented by maternal folic acid supplementation around the time of conception although the mechanism underlying this protective effect is unknown, but it is likely to include genes that regulate folate transport and metabolism.

The authors also outline how individuals with spina bifida need both surgical and medical management. "Spina bifida is the only birth defect for which there have been tremendous successes in both treatment and prevention. Continuing advances in our understanding of the human genome are providing new opportunities to understand the causes of this disorder, and offer the prospect of developing improved strategies for the prevention of spina bifida. Moreover, in utero treatment, although unproven at this time, might improve quality of life for those individuals born with spina bifida," Mitchell said.